The moment he steps from the portal, Jim stalls.
All around him, hanging from the ceiling, are scaffoldings and gangways.
Metal platforms, dangling on chains, at various levels in height. The sound of creaking metal clashes with his ears, chains rattling against each other all around him. Ladders hang down, some solid, some chains, some connected to gangways, some going to nowhere at all.
It's almost like being in an abandoned, outdated factory. A factory that did not serve its purpose.
Someone emerges from the portal behind him, but Jim hardly budges. Kristoff grumbles and scoots around him, pausing beside him.
"Um...." Rustling his blonde hair, Kristoff surveys the scene. "What is this supposed to be?" He peers at Jim, but upon seeing the scowl planted on Jim's face, moves a step away.
A flash of blue near the ceiling catching Jim's eye, and he spots the familiar swirling lights of the portal, set on top of one of the top platforms. It's at least three stories up, and upon further inspection, Jim notices there's no direct way up to it. They will have to traverse different scoffoldings, climb up different ladders to reach the portal. It's like a maze, but vertical.
The frustration is building up, and it's extremely difficult not to let loose and punch someone. That first time that happened, Jim was expelled from his first high school. That last time that happened, he spent the night in jail. And the anger management classes definitely only made it worse.
"So... We have to get all the way up there." Kiara points, mouth twisting in a cat-like sneer. "By climbing these." Her tone drips dread and resentment, probably toward the man who created this game.
Mason floats beside them, spinning as he tries to take in the structure. "Maybe I can fly ahead and find the easiest way for the rest of you to climb up!"
Before he can head up, a boom rocks the metal, and the gangway swings in the force. The players cower, covering their heads as sparks sprinkle down from above. The source of the explosion sounded as if it came from the far right corner, and Jim peers ahead just in time to see one of the chains snap, and a metal platform to cascading into the one beneath it.
The earsplitting noises echo off the metal for a moment longer, fading away.
As if it hadn't happened.
Eli sighs, grumbling under his breath. "Figures. These levels are probably only going to get harder the further along we get."
"Then we'd better get started." Ariel states, sounding about as reluctant as Jim feels. She wipes her sweating palms against her shirt, gnawing on her bottom lip. "And hopefully there won't be any explosions along the way."
Acting as the leader, she walks toward the nearest ladder, gripping it's weight and testing its strength before beginning to ascend. The rest of the players follow suit, Aladdin and Kiara deciding they don't want to wait for the turn and head deeper into the factory to find different ladders.
Mason lingers on the ground for a moment, one hand resting on one of the rungs.
Another, smaller explosion rocks the factory, rattling metal against metal. Mason flitches, then begins to ascend the ladder after a quick glimpse around.
Jim remains on the ground, surveying the scene. The Hyenas had mentioned suffering pain in the game, and through none of them have yet to be fatally hurt, he's concerned this level won't be as kind as the others had been. The portal is dozens of yards above the ground, and with scaffoldings breaking and explosions ringing off the walls almost every minute... is it possible to die in this game? What happens then? Is it game over? Will the game shut off? Or will they actually die... In real time?
